You may have heard these terms thrown around loosely from Instagram “health gurus” or “food influencers”, but what do they actually mean and how does it affect our Denver-based small batch pasta at Sfoglina?
To give a detailed explanation, we will have to go back a couple hundred years to see the differences between the grains and seeds that our ancestors used compared to modern farming practices.
A short answer
When you look at the definition of heirloom and heritage, they both refer to something being passed down to future generations. In the case of grains and agriculture, heirloom means “denoting a traditional variety of plant or animal which is not associated with large-scale commercial agriculture” (Oxford).
Heirloom and heritage grains are grains that were developed before World War II that have not undergone genetic modifications, modern breeding techniques, or chemical/pesticide focused harvesting.
These defining aspects of heritage and heirloom grains date back to the 1940s during the “Green Revolution,” a period of time where there were great innovations in agricultural and farming techniques and practices.
Green Revolution
According to Brittanica, the Green Revolution was “a great increase in production of food grains (especially wheat and rice) that resulted in large part from the introduction into developing countries of new, high-yielding varieties, beginning in the mid-20th century.”
This is an objective view of the revolution, but there are many opinions on the matter. One is that it is viewed as a solution for famine and malnutrition because of the increase in crop production and the availability of staple foods such as rice and wheat, which is true to an extent.
Another view, which is also true, is that these new varieties of high yield crops require an abundance of fertilizers and chemicals that raises costs, introduces health concerns, and in some cases, can produce a lower yield than the local strains previously used (heritage and heirloom grains).
According to a study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (NPAS), “Nutritional gains of the Green Revolution have been uneven; although overall calorie consumption increased, dietary diversity decreased for many poor people, and micronutrient malnutrition persisted. In some cases, traditional crops that were important sources of critical micronutrients (such as iron, vitamin A, and zinc) were displaced in favor of the higher-value staple crops (25).”
The heirloom and heritage grains we use in Sfoglina pasta creates a more flavorful, nutrient dense, easier to digest, and increases biodiversity.
Depending on which side of the coin you’re looking at, farmer, scientist, business person, politician, or consumer, probably produces a different view of the matter.
Mark Dowie, award winning journalist, described the Green Revolution as follows: “The primary objective of the program (Green Revolution) was geopolitical: to provide food for the populace in underdeveloped countries, and so bringing social stability and weaken the formenting of communist insurgency.”
Sfoglina’s story
For consumers, it can leave you wondering what this all even means as you stand in the grocery store deciding which flour to use, surrounded by misleading labels and brands.
Most of the pasta you see in stores today are made using a heavily processed common white wheat that provides little to no nutritional value. It’s used simply because it’s cheap and widely available.
At Sfoglina, we want to make it easy for you by being transparent with our ingredients, techniques, and sources to create a product that we can be proud of. We love to support our local economy by sourcing ingredients from Colorado farmers, mills, and small businesses.
Check out our online store to taste the flavors of Sfoglina, and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with all the behind the scenes work.